Admittedly, “Tin Soldier” is not exactly what you might call a rare pearl. The song was a hit for the Small Faces, on Youtube almost six million watched their performance on French television.
Those who see and hear the performance of the four Small Faces plus the singer P.P. Arnold will rub their eyes: the show took place on 2 March 1968. It’s unbelievable. First of all, the band looks incredibly hip, the musicians move like a (good) band of today and the sound is powerful, dynamic, full of power and passion – and therefore absolutely timeless anyway. The linchpin of the Small Faces was singer, guitarist and songwriter Steve Marriott, who unfortunately died far too early. A music madman, with probably more blues in his blood than Clapton and Page together. His pitch-black greaseproof voice carries and drives the song forward and gives it an almost archaic wildness, against which Rod Stewart (his successor in the band) and Mick Jagger look like good choirboys. Although this unbridled energy gave Marriott cult status among music connoisseurs, it probably prevented him from achieving the mainstream success he deserved.
